1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a refrigeration unit used in the food service industry to cool open pans holding food that are removably located in the top of the unit. The present invention employs a uniquely configured cooling element located in close proximity to the pans and mounted so that substantially the entire cooling element is disposed within the cooling chamber of the refrigeration unit.
2. Background Discussion
In the food service industry, it is conventional to use a large refrigeration unit that has an opening or openings in its top wall that provide a place to hold pans of food in the cooling chamber of the unit. The refrigeration unit serves as a work station in a commercial kitchen, and its top wall is about waist high, providing a generally flat, planar work surface. The pans are removed as required for refilling and cleaning, their individual, lower body portions are enclosed within the refrigeration unit when the pans are placed in the opening in the top wall.
The pans are open on top so that users may remove food from the pans while the pans are seated in the opening. Typically, the pans have a volumetric capacity ranging between about 50 and about 800 cubic inches, with a depth ranging from about 4 to about 6 inches, a width from about 3 to about 12 inches, and a length from about 6 to about 12 inches. The pans are made of metal, usually stainless steel, and can be of various configurations such as, for example, rectangular and box-like, cylindrical, bowl-like, etc. They are conveniently handled by one person and are dropped into the opening. The pans typically have an outwardly extending ledge that engages the lip of the opening and a support structure or bars extending across the opening. Thus, the body of the pan is within the cooling chamber of the refrigeration unit, and the food in the pan is, at least theoretically, maintained cool.
Typically, the opening in the top wall is elongated, allowing several pans to be stacked in a row, side by side, within the opening. For example, a unitary and rectangular opening is employed when rectangular and box-like pans are used. Alternately, a series of circular openings arranged side by side in the top wall of the refrigeration unit would be employed when cylindrical or bowl-like pans are used. Because of this close stacking of the pans, the cool air within the refrigeration unit does not always come into intimate contact with the sides of the pan, and the food within the pan tends to warm up, especially food near the central section of the pan. This may lead to the growth of bacteria within the food, particularly if the food remains in the pan for a substantial period of time. It is believed that this unsafe way of storing food may have led to serious illness in some individuals through food poisoning. This dangerous condition can frequently incur in a hot kitchen environment.